Mixing the elements

New Pixar film explores the challenges and triumphs of the immigrant experience in a multicultural society, Xu Fan reports.

There is a household proverb in China which says: "Water and fire could never tolerate each other".However, Elemental, the latest Disney and Pixar animated film, makes it possible.

Premiered as the closing film of the 76th Cannes Film Festival earlier this year, the tale was released simultaneously in China and North America on June 16.

Blending bold imagination with universal themes like family connection and parenting, the 102-minute movie fictionalizes a fantastic metropolis where four "races" — with each representing one of the four natural elements: fire, water, air and earth — live together.

Due to their differing characteristics, the daily lives of the residents are always filled with unpredictable and fun-filled events. For instance, if the Fire members get exposed to rain, their flame-like hair might be extinguished, but they can quickly reignite themselves and regrow their hair.

Ember Lumen, a 20-something member of the Fire "race", lives with her immigrant parents and helps run their grocery store. However, trouble ensues when she loses her temper one day and accidentally causes a fire in the basement, which leads to a burst water pipe. As a result of the accident, Lumen meets Wade Ripple, a health inspector from the Water "race "who is unexpectedly sucked into the pipe. Despite their supposed inability to touch and hug each other, a romantic spark is ignited between the two.